Category: What we’re reading

You can use your story to Inspire others. You can come from a difficult place and turn it around. This is what Trevor Brown did, and now he is sharing his story. This is how Director Emma Lovell came to know this story and be inspired.

One day in Melbourne I was catching a tram as I did perhaps 3 or 4 times a week to get into the city. You sit down, play on your phone, talk to your friend or generally go about your own business. Occasionally someone sits near you and smiles or says something. This day, Trevor Brown sat down with me and my friend and started chatting with us. Little did I know that this would forhttps://lovellycommunications.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/img_1226.jpgm a digital friendship and I would be eager to learn more and more about his story.

In our brief 10 minute ride, Trevor told us that he had been homeless. He was so open and honest about it. He was also very proud to tell us that he was now a published writer and handed me his business card. As a fellow writer, this was something I was certainly interested to learn. From appearances, you would never know that he had once lived below the line and had struggled to re-build. Now, he wants to share his story and help others.

The lease I can do is share his story here. These are the words of Trevor Brown:

“Just a brief information about my history..

I was homeless living inside my small van for six years from 2008 to 2013, with five of those years basically on the streets of Melbourne. During my first year up in the bush area of North East Victoria I battled against depression and nearly stepped of the planet, I just wasn’t happy….during what I call my darkness zone a story was sparked and run through my head and I started writing it. At the time I didn’t rate my writing…. That’s my first book I’m still writing only a few thousand words to go and why I thought about becoming a writer….

Last year 2013, I headed back to school to do my VCE (Year12) course and about this time of the year the editor of the “Big Issue” magazine advised that he wanted to publish my article about my time on the streets, this become my first article, the first page of my folio.

Now I have had 4 article published in the Big Issue, a couple of other articles published in other magazines and a couple of weeks ago was broadcast on the Big Idea program on ABC National radio talking about “Social Inclusion in learning”

Anyway I finished another article yesterday about a homeless guy who was murdered and how many people came together to remember him last week in the city the editor has already responded that he likes my article….

I may be again on the radio in a couple of months….2014 is starting to shape up nicely and remember this time last year I was still in my van on the streets….Now I don’t even have my van…or anything parked in the driveway.

Anyway that’s just a bit of info…As for my art, I use it drawings and painting to have somewhere else to throw my creativeness and it helps me write…Over Christmas I also did some street art in the middle of Melbourne…

Anyway Not sure if this is the type of info you wanted, but that’s my part my story anyway….

I’m only starting out but as I said when my first article was published, “Everyone who has ever gotten anywhere started with ‘one thing’ and this may just be my ‘one thing”…time will tell.”

Business & Baby on Board is a book written by PR expert Johanna Baker-Dowdell. But we need your help to get it to book shelves!

Could you do with a PR strategy session for your business, a professionally written media release for your big news, or a VIP round table with nine fellow business owners? Read on to find out how you can make these things happen by pledging to my book project.My Business & Baby on Board crowdfunding project on Pozible is now 31% funded. While I am very grateful to the people who have made pledges so far to get it to that point, I need to make the remaining 69% by September 24 or I won’t see any of the money committed to help me self publish. Visit www.pozible.com/bizbabyonboard to see what rewards are on offer in return for a pledge.

I am also signing the first 500 copies of Business & Baby on Board sold if you want to secure a pre-sale copy, head over to the ‘Books’ tab at Strawberry Communications and buy one copy for $25, or two for $40.